Perils of petroleum
for wildlife
Although death came quickly for
many birds and animals, the
scientific jury is still out on the
oil's long-term effects.
Sea otters' physiological sys
tems were ravaged. The only
sea mammals that lack thick
blubber, many succumbed after
their dense fur became satu
rated with oil and provided no
insulation. Others developed
respiratory ailments, possibly
because volatile elements of the
26
oil weakened membranes
in their lungs. Some suf
fered liver and kidney
damage, probably caused by
ingesting oil while cleaning their
coats. Within the affected area,
more than a thousand otters are
known dead, perhaps a third of
the total killed.
Similar maladies afflicted
common murres, one of the
area's most abundant seabirds.
Murres that had gathered on the
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